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Mike Shea, president and CEO of Alternative Press, in his office, on the eve of the magazine's 20th anniversary in 2005. The magazine stages its first AP Music Awards Show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, July 21, 2014.
Photo taken May 18, 2005 Plain Dealer photo by Scott Shaw
(Scott Shaw, The Plain Dealer)

Mike Shea, the Cleveland-born founder of the magazine that celebrates pretty much all music that isn't mainstream, laughed about what he called "ancient history'' during an interview to talk about the show on the North Coast Harbor at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was 1985 and he was a student at Kent State University, and he'd been struggling to overcome a bout with mononucleosis that attacked his right arm, and the subsequent treatment that "caused all the muscles in my hand to weaken.

"I said if I ever got my arm back, I was going to write,'' said Shea, whose journalism background was editing his Aurora High School yearbook and school newspaper.

A friend – "a true punk rocker, with a Mohawk, boots and leather jacket'' – took Shea under his wing and taught him about punk.

"At the time, Scene was basically running the town, but they wouldn't write about our scene at all,'' Shea said. And so was born Alternative Press, "an alternative to Scene magazine and Friday! Magazine at the time.

"We scrabbled it together and put out our first issue on June 6, 1985,'' he said, and distributed a 1,000 free copies.

Word quickly spread, and all of a sudden, Shea was getting letters from punk fans from Columbus and Pittsburgh, all offering to report on the punk scenes in their cities.

But it wasn't all ducks and bunnies for the mag that was among the first to give voice to bands like Death of Samantha, Pere Ubu and Lucky Pierre (back when Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor was in it).

"We weren't business people at all,'' Shea said. "We were kids who loved music.''

A brief foray into promoting kept the magazine afloat for eight total issues, but by the spring of '86, they were forced shut it down, and Shea went to work at Higbee's in North Randall.

Eight months later, a former reviewer for the magazine who was then working as a used car salesman offered $800 to front "a reunion issue.''

"AP was birthed in that coffee shop where the Grog Shop is now,'' Shea said. "The plaque is there.

"We made more money off that first issue than in the eight prior to that,'' he said.

The fledgling company's "offices'' were then-editor David Earl's apartment at Coventry and Mayfield roads. AP rented out all but the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, Shea said. But there were conditions:

"You guys have to get out if I have a girl coming over," Earl told them.

Mark Holan was editor of Scene back then, and according to Shea, used to run a quarter-page ad listing all the competitors Scene had seen fall by the wayside.

"Always, my sworn duty to myself was that I would never allow Alternative Press to end up in that damn ad,'' Shea said. "And we never did.''

But strength of will wasn't enough. The magazine had to have a focus, and that comes directly from Shea's vision.

AP has always been more about the music than the gossip or politics that have driven other "music'' magazines, such as Rolling Stone.

"We want to know the human interest story here,'' Shea said. "We always tried to make it about the musician as best we can, especially in the early years. It was about promoting the unknown, giving a shot to the Davids among the Goliaths.''

Though he acknowledged that we are "in a celebrity culture,'' Shea has refused to let Alternative Press cave into that mentality.

"We try to be respectful [of the artists and bands] and not go all 'TMZ,' '' he said. "That's why we're succeeding.

"We've made a conscious effort not to go that way, even though that can get you comments and page views, he said.

Fans and artists appreciate that, Shea thinks. The magazine doesn't shy away from tough questions, but the musicians know that, and know that the magazine "isn't out to get me.''

It's that sort of mutual respect that has made possible this award show, so long in the making.

"One of our record companies got hold of us and said, 'Why haven't you guys done an awards show? If anyone should do one, it should be you guys,' '' Shea said.

Last year, conversations began with the Rock Hall, which had expressed interest in partnering with AP for something -- anything.

"There's nothing in there past Rolling Stone,'' Shea said. "The younger generations aren't represented yet, and they wanted to find ways to build that bridge to the younger generations, the millennials. Our awards show was a way to do that.''

The stars lined up correctly, too, as the hottest alternative and punk tours are converging on Northeast Ohio at that time, all by design.

Kevin Lyman's Warped Tour is off that day, and several bands from it will appear. Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy are on tour and are among those who will perform at the show that will see a dozen fan-voted awards given to artists. Those range from artist of the year to best drummer.

And in keeping with Shea's desire to make the show special, Cleveland's Contemporary Youth Orchestra will be there as well, teaming with some artists for performances and helping to create with Shea called an Oscar-like atmosphere.

"This is not a dirt-bike festival being done in Southern Florida,'' Shea said. "Dress code for all the VIPs is hip-formal.

"Musicians, dress like you're going to the Grammys,'' he said. As for the audience – projected at between 5,000 and 6,000 – "Dress however you want, but this isn't an all-day festival.

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